KA-2144 -- Field and Laboratory Evaluation of an Activated Charcoal Style Filter-Drier Core in Commercial Refrigeration Systems

Commercial refrigeration equipment is subject to malfunction, usually in control components, caused by soluble and semi-soluble contaminants that are present both at the time of installation and generated in the operation of the system. This paper describes results obtained using activated alumina drier cores modified by incorporating 40% activated charcoal by weight. This modified core was designed to minimize the effect of wax-like contaminants which were shown to be present in many systems at the time of start-up. This article shows that the drier removes wax in low temperature systems and also reports that it may remove other material such as resins, varnish and oleo resins that cause malfunction in higher temperature systems including air conditioning.

The data presented herein, includes that drawn from laboratory work, from broad based, as well as specific, field reports, and from a microscopic examination of one very large system which would not respond to normally effective remedies.